Big Steakhouse Energy, Wine List Plays It Safe
Palm Beach Gardens · West Palm Beach · Steakhouse · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed September 11, 2026 · How we review
RagingWine reviewed The Capital Grille – Palm Beach Gardens’s wine list and gave it The Reliable — RagingWine’s Vibe-Check rating. How RagingWine reviews wine lists →
Wingman Metrics
The Capital Grille wine list is exactly what you'd expect from a polished national steakhouse chain: heavy on Napa Cabs, light on adventure, and priced to reflect the white tablecloth surroundings. It's not trying to surprise you, and it succeeds at not doing that. What it does deliver is a clean, competent by-the-glass program with enough range to keep most tables happy.
The list is essentially a greatest hits of American wine with a few European cameos. Napa Cabernet dominates the red side — Charles Smith Substance, Route Stock, Fisher Unity, and Orin Swift Palermo all make appearances — which is appropriate for a steakhouse but leaves little room for anything adventurous. White wines are similarly safe: two Pinot Grigios (including the ever-present Santa Margherita), a Patz & Hall Chard, and a Prüm Riesling that's the most interesting thing on the list. Old World representation is thin, and there's nothing here from Burgundy, the Rhône, or Italy's red heartland. It's a list built for the expense account crowd, not the curious drinker.
All 23 wines on the list are available by the glass, which is genuinely useful and somewhat unusual for a steakhouse of this caliber. The glass range runs from $10 (Riondo Prosecco, Casa Lunardi Pinot Grigio) up to $30 (Moët Rosé Impérial, Orin Swift Palermo), with most options landing in the $12–$19 sweet spot. Rotation appears static rather than seasonal — don't expect surprises month to month.
Charles Smith Substance, Columbia Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 — $13/glass
Substance consistently punches well above its weight — it's a seriously structured Columbia Valley Cab from one of Washington's most reliable producers, and $13 a glass is about as honest as this list gets. Order it before you default to the Napa options.
Prüm Essence, Mosel, Germany, Riesling 2018
At $11 a glass, this is the lone Old World outlier on an otherwise Stars-and-Stripes list. Prüm is a legendary Mosel producer, and an off-dry Riesling cuts right through a rich steakhouse meal better than most of the Chardonnays here. Most tables will walk right past it.
Orin Swift Palermo, Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Palermo is a perfectly fine Napa Cab, but $30 a glass is a hard sell when a bottle retails around $40. The markup math here is brutal — you're essentially buying the bottle in two pours. The Charles Smith Substance at $13 is a better story.
Fisher Unity, Napa Valley / Sonoma, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 + Dry-Aged NY Strip
Fisher Unity is a blended Cab with enough Sonoma structure to handle the funk of dry-aged beef without going overboard on the oak. It's the most balanced Cab on the list and the right call for the marquee steak.
The Bottom Line
The Capital Grille Palm Beach Gardens is a reliable wine stop if you're already there for the steak — just don't expect the list to excite you. Lean toward the glass pours, chase the value picks, and avoid the temptation to drop $30 on that Orin Swift.
· West Palm Beach · Mediterranean
Florie's is a hotel wine program that tries harder than it has to, and that counts for something. The all-by-the-glass format is genuinely practical, the French selections show real taste, and a few pours — the Schloss Lieser, the Armand Heitz — would be highlights at any standalone wine bar. The markups are what they are: you're inside a Four Seasons. Go in with eyes open, order the Riesling, and let someone else order the Opus One.
Small but Thoughtful
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Steakhouse
Ruth's Chris West Palm Beach delivers exactly what the brand promises: a safe, accessible wine list built around familiar producers and crowd-pleasing styles. The all-by-the-glass format is a genuine plus, and a few selections like the Siduri Willamette Pinot and Chalk Hill Chardonnay are worth your time — but markups are steep and the list won't reward curiosity. If you're here for the steak, you'll find something to drink; just don't expect the wine to be the reason you came.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Hotel dining
This is not a wine destination, but it's a hotel wine list that actually made an effort — the Dauvissat Chablis and Pazo de Lusco Albariño alone put it ahead of most properties in its category. If you're staying here or dining through for convenience, you won't be stuck drinking plonk, but pricing is almost certainly hotel-inflated, so go in with eyes open and lean toward the selections that show range rather than the obvious crowd-pleasers.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
Santucci runs a tight, Italy-focused wine list that rewards the curious — Etna wines, a real Barolo by the glass, a Sicilian Frappato at a fair price. Markup is reasonable across the board, and the all-pours-available-by-the-glass setup is a genuine differentiator in this price range. If you're eating Italian in West Palm Beach and you want to drink something more interesting than the Chianti default, this list earns your attention.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Mediterranean
Del Mar is a Reliable pour in a city that doesn't always try that hard at wine — the Coravin program and the 34-glass lineup show real effort, and the Assyrtiko alone is worth the visit if you're ordering seafood. Markups on the California icons are steep, so steer toward the European picks and you'll drink well without feeling taken.
Solid Range
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· West Palm Beach · Italian
For a pizza and pasta spot, Elisabetta's glass program is legitimately ambitious — 60 options, fair pricing across the board, and enough obscure Italian varietals to reward the curious. We can't speak to staff knowledge or glassware quality from the available data, but if the execution on the floor matches the ambition on the list, this is one of the better wine spots in West Palm Beach, full stop. Go in, skip the Santa Margherita, and let someone at the table order the Brocard Chablis.
Solid Range
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Steakhouse
The Butcher and Bottle isn't trying to be a wine destination — it's a steakhouse with a sensible, well-priced list that keeps things moving. The near-total by-the-glass program is genuinely smart, and the pricing is fairer than most places in this category. If you want adventure, look elsewhere; if you want a reliable Cab with your ribeye at a price that won't ruin the evening, this works.
Crowd Pleasers
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Alpharetta · Steakhouse
Connors is a reliable steakhouse wine list that does its job without embarrassing itself or dazzling anyone. The by-the-glass count is a genuine bright spot, markups are steep but consistent with the category, and the selection covers the bases its clientele expects. Send a friend here if they want a solid glass of California Cab with their ribeye — just don't send them expecting anything they haven't already seen.
Crowd Pleasers
Steep
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
· Charlotte · Steakhouse
The Palm Charlotte's wine list is a six-bottle natural wine curio hiding inside a chain steakhouse, and it's more interesting than it has any right to be. The Crochet Sancerre at $23 alone is worth the detour. Don't expect breadth, staff guidance, or a by-the-glass program worth writing home about — but if you know what you're looking at, this short list punches well above its weight.
Small but Thoughtful
Fair
Basic Stemmed
Rotating Cast
Set & Forget
Acceptable
One wine list review, one adventure pick, one quick tip, and a personal note. Every week. Under 500 words.
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